As the name applies, in many ways, the Root is what started it all. We had some shapes before it, but the Root was the first to really lay the groundwork and establish Grain as a brand. Many of our earliest orders were for the Root and they came from all corners of the U.S. It’s always been a classic squash tail longboard, meant to work as well as it can in the widest variety of conditions. It’s also the very first model that we started to get away from using red cedar, opting instead for local white cedar from here in Maine.
The first Root was built for Dennis K., a customer from Hawaii, but it never made it there. Being new to glassing, Mike noticed that his glass laps didn’t clear out well and looked cloudy, hiding some of the beautiful grain. We were learning everything as we went, but we always knew that taking care of our customers and doing the right thing by them came first. So he made the painful but right decision to hold it back and build another for Dennis, which he completed a few months later. We built another Root in 2006 for Mark S. from New Hampshire. That board still hangs in his living room and, to bring it full circle, in 2018 Mark returned to take a workshop with his three sons, all building boards of their very own.
Dennis's Root in the makeshift glassing room, 2006.
We are very excited to reveal a whole new Root featuring a completely revised outline in the form of a pintail! While keeping the essence of the Root, taking some inspiration from our Northern Pintail, and drawing some whole new lines, we came up with what we think is the sexiest looking Root yet. Sporting the same moderate rocker and down rails that taper the volume from the middle, the new pintail outline and accentuated bottom v-shape in the tail both help the Root be more nimble than ever. And now, available in 8’6”, 9’, or 9’6”, there’s a Root for almost any rider.
